[color=lightgray][right][sub]TIMESTAMP: After [url=https://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/5417329]Family is Everything[/url]
Featuring: [color=BCDD81]Clayton Costigan[/color] & [color=a95963]Kylee Grimm[/color] 
Small FT: [color=82A989]Adam Callahan[/color] [/sub][/right]
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[indent][indent]Clayton Costigan had made this drive a million times in his life; the slow crawl up Hanging Hill towards the side gates of Scott Street. But he had never made it like this. He had never made it with the intention of causing harm.

Edenridge, for all of its many faults, is a town dripping in history. It is a town where the populace still carry the names of their forefathers; Callahan, Cleary, O’Hara and O’Brien. Yet search high and low, one name not found is Scott. So where did they all go? The truth of the matter is very simple, they didn’t go far at all. The Scott family arrived in Eden sometime after the founding but there were a lot of them, so they took up residence in the area that would soon carry their name. Famine, poverty, violence, it claimed many, including the family on the hill until all that remained of the once huge dynasty was a daughter. Eileen Scott soon married a stable boy with hefty dreams and no brain cells, that man was Hosiah Costigan. From there, Hosiah tore down all the homes in the Scott conclave and rebuilt it. With blood and sweat and tears, he built a thriving residence for those that paved the way, the founders. Centuries later, Founders Valley was renamed Scott Street in honour of the family that first called it home.

The twins have heard that story a thousand times from their grandparents and both hated it. Laura couldn’t wait to leave the street, leaving behind the legacy of being both a foundling from their Callahan mother and hearing about how their fathers ancestor built every house on the damned hill. Clay wanted to escape as well but the glimmer and glitz was a little bit harder for him to resist but he got out in the end. Sure it was a shitty little place in PleasantView, but it was enough for him. 

Still, driving up the hill brought back too many memories for him to forget. Him, Davey and Fran playing street ball in the driveway, Jamie silently watching while Lamb did her hair. He remembered having to carry his cousin Emerald down the hill to her parents house after she broke her hand. His first kiss in the woods behind the O’Hara house. These visions were no longer painted in gold, instead replaced by darkness and melancholy. 

When the car parked up just shy of the cul-de-sac, Clay took a deep breath and placed each of his hands on the shoulders of his saviors: Niles and Lexie. They only promised to get him as far as his mother’s house since they knew that Ellie would force her son to the hospital. He looked out and he could see her dark tresses in the window and off to the side the waiting forms of Kylee Grimm and..Adam? Well that was a story for another time he guessed. [color=BCDD81]“Thanks guys. Thank you for doing this.”[/color] He patted Niles on the shoulder before turning to Lexie. [color=BCDD81]“Stay away from strange men and ice cream, little buddy. I know what you’re like.”[/color] Inhaling again to block the pain, Clay got out of the car. 

[color=BCDD81]“Well well,”[/color] The young officer put on his bravest face as he looked at the couple standing in front of his mother’s front door. [color=BCDD81]“Kylee finally bagged herself a Callahan. Not like you’ve been trying for ten years and I’m a little old for you.”[/color]

[color=a95963]“You’re one to talk,”[/color] Kylee snickered, having observed a drastic change between Clayton and the hot milf and best sandwich maker, Caterina Belmonte, over the course of a couple of weeks. The journalistic girl could see a mile away how badly they lusted and desired one another. Not even that though. The way they looked at each other had this incredibly deep connection that made her feel they were definitely more than just friends. This Missus or Miss — Kylee didn’t know if Cat had finalized her divorce yet but all of Scott Street knew her business and that she was having an affair with a mysterious, young lover — was the one person that Clay’s had the hots for throughout many, many seasons. He may be a ladies man, having more romantic relationships than she could count but his eyes always went back to the same person. Time and time again. They always searched and found a hot Italian mama. Mysterious young lover? Clay visits the sandwich shop often. Coincidence? Unlikely.

Maybe Kylee was being a hopeless romantic, or an optimist, and hoping the chemistry she saw actually blossomed into something he could hold, something he could cherish, and something he could call his and only his. There was nothing wrong with believing in love and that it would find you when you were least expecting it. Just look at her and Adam! There was one thing she knew for certain though, Clay wasn’t playing the field anymore. He still had his friends but he was far more focused in juggling his work and his meetings with Wes and herself. Past tense since Wes likely won’t be hosting weekly meetups anymore. Clay always made time for his many lovers but now, it seemed like he was more available for other things. [color=a95963]“But yeah, if you have to know, Wes ghosted me so I dumped his ass. Adam came out of nowhere and now we’re together.”[/color] There wasn’t a grace period between Wes and Adam which may be something she’ll regret in the future but right now, the heart wants one thing. The heart wants Adam. 

Approaching her friend with the great hair, even in this state, Kylee scanned him from head to toe, examined him in concern and harshly asked, [color=a95963]“What the fuck happened to you?”[/color] She was going to mention that she knew who David’s girl was but there was a more pressing matter at hand. Clay’s condition. [color=a95963]“Clay, are you sure you should be… out like this?”[/color] She frowned with apparent worry. 

[color=BCDD81]“We’ve got work to do.”[/color] Clay said bluntly. He usually wasn’t so abrupt, always masking his words with humor or charm but this was a different Clay. This was the man who took an oath to protect and serve; no matter the personal cost. He looked towards his cousin, whom he hadn’t seen in a very long time thanks to a whole drama and he ruffled the signature shaggy hair that nearly all men in their family carried. [color=BCDD81]“Damn AC, you got big. You’ll have to give me workout tips but first…nah who am I kidding I’m never setting foot in a gym. God gifted me this body I’m not messing with it….anyway I digress, Adam...”[/color] Clayton pointed to the extremely worried face he could see in the window of his childhood home. [color=BCDD81]“Go in there and distract my Mom. Shouldn’t be too hard, she’s still a space case.”[/color]

Same old Clay. Adam fondly remembered Saturdays at the Costigan house. Ellie and Sean would welcome their entire extended family for a sit down meal which Ellie would claim to have made from scratch, probably thinking she did and not realizing Sean switched out all of the food while she did her make up. All the connected families were there. Costigan, Callahan, Milligan and Moore. He remembered sitting with Rachel, Roddy, Bron and Emerald whilst Andy, Fran and the other older kids did cool shit. Except Clay. Clay always took the time to hang out with the younger crew before he headed off on whatever hair brained scheme he had cooked up for that day. He always made sure that they knew that he loved them and that they weren’t less than. Everything always seemed easy for him. Clay was a good guy and it looked like nothing had changed.

[color=82A989]“I’ll do my best.”[/color] Adam nodded towards the older man before turning to face his girlfriend. [color=82A989]“Be careful out there, I’m not losing you again.”[/color] He kissed her soft lips and held her tight for a moment before doing his little cousin's duties of distracting the parents. It was just like when Clay and Lamb tried to steal Uncle Sean’s hard liquor. 

[color=BCDD81]“Bit dramatic, but we don’t shame in this house.”[/color] Clay had to make a comment just to ignore the thousand aching pains in his body. [color=BCDD81]“Alright Grimmy, information pooling time. I know who’s sending the letters and I know who’s writing the letters. You do too. Hit me with your best shot, Pat Benatar.”[/color]

Leading the charge, after watching her sexy boyfriend walk away, Kylee strolled down Prairie Court toward the cul-de-sac. [color=a95963]“The answer was in the letter, and it was… pretty obvious once I put two and two together. It took time and a few interviews with cheerleaders and such, but once I went back to the basics, I couldn’t unsee it.”[/color] Kylee crossed her arms, walking beside her friend, thinking out loud her many thoughts of the matter. [color=a95963]“The Elite. You guys were the shining stars. Everyone had their eyes on you, all the time. Some even worshiped you. I imagine if I was involved in your circle as a little sister, I would’ve definitely gained a [i]hard[/i] crush on one of you. Probably you because I guess I have a Callahan-Costigan thing,”[/color] she teasingly giggled, glancing toward him and playful winking. She was glad she never really saw Clay in that light. [color=a95963]“Hell, I thought Rhett was sexy as fuck and even gave him advances but he is an unbreakable force. Unwilling to bend. And, I respect him for that.”[/color]

Uncrossing her arms, Kylee put emphasis on her words by using her hands, [color=a95963]“The more I thought about it, the more sorry I felt for David. It doesn’t justify his actions by any means, but he was the coach’s son. He was an O’Hara. That pressure adds up. I’m the Mayor’s daughter and I can understand that pressure.”[/color] She grimaced at the thought of her father getting angry at her earlier, causing her to take two steps back on her mental health journey. She hated disappointing him. [color=a95963]“He turned to the bottle but he also turned to the one girl that was always there but kept to the background, like a little mouse, waiting for him to see her. I have a picture from one of our school’s bakery sales that matches her handwriting verbatim but that’s just me doing the most and wanting physical evidence.”[/color] Kylee nodded to herself, a true Sherlock Holmes in the making, if given the proper tools, resources, and validation. 

[color=a95963]“Most of you have siblings. You, David, Rhett have sisters. Lamb and Jamie were part of the Elite by association and around your age, so that doesn’t leave too much room for scandal. Caitlin, though? The girl who avoided me like the plague because I’m very good at discovering secrets. The girl who had her own secret to protect and wouldn’t want it to get in the hands of her classmate who aired out other’s dirty laundry for the world to see, which of course, I’m not too proud about. She is a hopeless romantic who likes stories like Romeo & Juliet. She shows her love through acts of kindness, like feeding Danny all the cupcakes in the world. Cleary and O’Hara are neighbors, like you and Cat once were.”[/color] Kylee hinted at her own theory with Clay and his dynamite dream girl. The girl next door. A trope that seems to exist heavily in the town of Edenridge. Charlie and Poppy. David and Caitlin. Clay and Cat.

When they slowly walked past the O’Hara house, she turned to it and frowned, [color=a95963]“It’s sad because not only did he put himself in a situation where the town would ruthlessly tear him apart — yet people don’t blink an eye for someone like my father who married his sugarbaby basically — but he, like Allison, were in their prime in highschool. They were lost after graduation. Their friends all had some general direction while those two? They knew they would be remembered for their school reputation. Kinda like me…”[/color] Kylee trailed off, feeling her own inadequacy and lack of direction. Without the town drama, what would she be? Nothing. Secrets were all she really had. [color=a95963]“I stopped really trying to find out the answer for who was using the Charlie’s Letter gimmick to their advantage because that answer is pretty obvious too and I think you know who it is, without me having to say the name.”[/color] Kylee turned to Clay expectantly, ready to hear his own notions before assuming the culprit of Dear David, a red herring for the case of who has Charlie Decker’s journal.

Clay silently listened to Kylee’s discoveries. Partially to see if their respective theories matched, they did and partially because opening his mouth to talk hurt like a fucking bitch. [color=BCDD81]“I spent the entire day yesterday interviewing the people I cherish more than anything about these damn letters and the answer had been staring me in the face.”[/color] Ruffling a hand through his wild dark mane, Clayton looked up at O’Hara house. All the treasured memories of days he recalled being wonderful. Lost to time and lost to trouble. Roddy would say it was a curse. It wasn’t a curse. It was just broken people doing bad things. [color=BCDD81]“You know it’s funny, none of us ever considered ourselves elite. It was just a name, it didn’t mean anything. We knew how people felt, how Caitlin felt, how others felt but we weren’t supposed to do anything about it. It wasn’t right. David….I love him. He was my brother but he crossed the line. I don’t doubt that he loved her. I honestly don’t but if he had just waited. If he had just listened….”[/color]

He stopped as he and Kylee stood on the lawn of the Cleary home. Clay had been there so many times. He had watched Caitlin grow up into the beautiful young woman she was. He had shot hoops with Rhett and he had drank beer with Gary while silently drooling over Deidre. [color=BCDD81]“Everything fits together now. Jamie knew. Of course she did. Nobody was closer to David than her. She has a history of chaotic behavior. When police raided the house and found nothing; Jamie was the only one who had the time to get rid of the letters and stash them where no one would think to look. Her and David’s special place in the woods. When I was attacked last night…”[/color] He paused, realizing that he had yet to tell Kylee what had happened to him. [color=BCDD81]“…I’ll fill you in later. When I was attacked…”[/color] Clay continued. [color=BCDD81]“I know of only one person that big and that strong. Russell. And that big ogre would do anything for Jamie. Anything.”[/color] Would Jamie go so far as to have Clayton attacked for what truths he may uncover? He doubted it. What he didn’t doubt was that Russ might take the initiative and try and solve the Clay problem without Jamie’s consent. The tragedy of it all was that he and Russell had been friends for twenty years yet he had never trusted any of them with the secret that Jamie had been guarding, had he done so, maybe things would’ve been different.

[color=BCDD81]“We speak to Caitlin. Get her side and then we go next door.”[/color] Clay reached out and out a hand on Kylee’s shoulder as she stood ahead of him at the Cleary front door. [color=BCDD81]“Thanks for going through this with me, Ky. I guess Roddy was right about you all along.”[/color] He reached down and checked one last time. His gun was there and it was loaded. He didn’t know what the next few minutes held in store but what he did know was that it all ended now. For David. 

[color=BCDD81]“Take the lead, boss.”[/color]

There were butterflies in her stomach. Or dread. She didn’t know. Kylee and Caitlin never did interact with one another. They had a mutual friend in Danny but aside from that? They lived in different worlds or chose to at least. There was this deep-seated feeling that Caitlin would not take her arrival to the Cleary family home well. Hopefully Clay being here would ease the girl’s worry but Ky seriously doubted it. How would you feel if your first love’s best friend and the gossip girl of your year showed up at your front door seeking answers? The truth? Not well at all, Kylee imagined.

Here goes nothing. 

Pushing her fears to the back burner, Kylee pressed the doorbell and waited patiently for someone to answer. As she waited, she wiped her sweaty hands on her plaid skirt. Either the heat was getting to her or her anxiety. Regardless of what it was, she wasn’t ready for this. She didn’t expect to get this close to solving a case without Roddy. Still, it didn’t matter if she was ready or not. She had to be. She needed to be. For her friend. Clayton deserved closure for this chapter in his life. Clayton deserved to move on. For his sake, she hoped this ended with him being at peace. For his sake, she hoped he could focus on himself and be happy. If that meant sleeping with an Italian milf then good for him. As for herself? She hoped this gave her confidence to aspire and dream again… she hadn’t been this excited in a long while. She loved chasing the truth. She hoped this was a good sign. A positive one. For her future. She hoped she was doing the right thing. 

Only time will tell. 

She rang the doorbell once more.
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